pylon

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pylon

  • /ˈpaɪ.lɒn/
  • /ˈpaɪ.lən/ UK, also, uncommon

Where it comes from

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πυλών (pulṓn, “gateway”).

noun pylons

  1. A gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple.
  2. A tower-like structure, usually one of a series, used to support high-voltage electricity cables. The highway to the East Coast which ran through the borough of Ebbfield had always been a main road and even now, despite the vast garages, the pylons and the gaily painted factory glasshouses which had sprung up beside it, there still remained an occasional trace of past cultures.

    Similar: electricity pylon, transmission tower

  3. A pillar used to support a bridge.
  4. A tall steel or concrete tower from which cables are strung.
  5. A lighting mast; a freestanding support for floodlights.
  6. A structure used to mount engines, missiles etc., to the underside of an aircraft wing or fuselage.
  7. historical A starting derrick for an aeroplane.
  8. historical A post, tower, etc. as on an aerodrome, or flying ground, serving to bound or mark a prescribed course of flight.
  9. An obelisk. The Washington Monument is often described as an obelisk, and sometimes even as a “true obelisk,” even though it is not. A true obelisk is a monolith, a pylon formed out of a single piece of stone.
  10. A traffic cone.
  11. An orange marker designating one of the four corners of the end zone in American football.
  12. derogatory An ineffective, useless player. The defensemen have been total pylons tonight!
  13. A rigid prosthesis for the lower leg. McKenzie uses a pylon for all above knee amputees, and orders a permanent leg when function merits it.

Translations

Every language

noun a towerlike structure used to support high-voltage electricity cables

Españoltorre
日本語鉄塔 tettō
Portuguêstorre, poste
Françaispylône
DeutschStrommast
Italianotraliccio, pilone
Ελληνικάπυλώνας pylónas
Русскийопо́ра opóra, пило́н pilón

noun a gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple

日本語塔門 tōmon
Portuguêspilone, pilono
Françaispylône
DeutschPylon
Italianopilone
Ελληνικάπυλώνας pylónas
Românăpilon
Русскийпило́н pilón

noun part of a bridge

Españolpilote, pilón
Русскийпило́н pilón

noun aviation: a structure used to mount engines, missiles etc., to the underside of an aircraft wing or fuselage

日本語パイロン pairon
Portuguêspilone
Ελληνικάπυλώνας pylónas
Русскийкаба́нчик kabánčik

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Cite this
MLA

"pylon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pylon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

pylon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pylon

Chicago

"pylon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pylon.

BibTeX
@misc{pylon_2026,
  title = {pylon},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pylon},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}